Toy



Patented July 4, 1944 joY SheldomH; Gainsl'ey, Minneapolis, Minn;

ApplicationMay 4,1944, serial No. 534,059

(or. 4e 114) 6 5 Claims:

My invention relates. to. toys. and particularly to'wheeled. toys, and hasfor an object to producea toywhich isattractive in appearance and.

entertaining to. the..user.

Another, objectof the. inventionresides in providing a toy having. amoving object adapted to be moved through propulsion of the wheels of.

the toy.

Astill further object-of the invention resides in providing a toyhaving spacedwheels and having, aguidedisposed.between said .wheels and;

along which the objectis adaptedv tomove asthe wheels rotate.- r

A still further object oftheinventionresides in arranging the guide on'the skew so as to cause the guide to incline when the wheels are in one position and to procure movement of the object from end to end of the guide by gravity.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a plurality of such guides symmetrically disposed about the axis of the wheels.

A still further object of the invention resides in constructing the guide in the form of a cage and within which the object is disposed. A feature of the invention resides in using one or more balls as the movable object.

threaded socket 14 illustrated in detail in Fig. 3,

which receives the threaded end l5 of a handle H5. The handle l6 projects upwardly and rearwardly from the device and terminates in a knob l1.

Rotatably mounted in the frame In are two wheels l8 and I9 which are secured together in a manner to be presently described. Each of these wheels has a trunnion 2| projecting outwardly therefrom, said trunnions being received in suitable sockets 22 in the lower ends of the legs H and I2 of frame I0. By means of this construction, the wheels 18 are mounted for rotation.

Between the two wheels I8 and I9 aremounted two guides 2 3 and. vThese guides are in the form of elongatedv cages andare similar in con-. struction. Due to their similarity, only the guide 23 will-be described-in detail. This guide consists of fourrods25, 25, 21 and28, which are each securely attached to-thewheel 18 at one end and to thewheel I9 atthe other end. thus. holding said wheels in proper relation. The rod 25 is attached toeach of said wheels near its periphery, while the rod 21 1s attachedto each of said wheels inwardlyof-thef periphery-thereof. The rod 26 is attached to the. wheel lfl near its periphery and to the wheel l9 inwardly=thereof, while the rod.28 isattached tothe wheel "19' near its periphery and to the wheel l8 inwardly thereof. These rods and the guide or cage 23 formed thereby are skewed so that a passageway 29 is formed therebetween and which extends in a helical manner from one wheel to the other. The cage 24 is diametrally opposite from the cage 23 and skews in the same direction, so that when the left hand end of the cage 23 is uppermost, the right hand end of the cage 24 is uppermost, as shown in Fig. 2.

Within the passageway 29 of the cages 23 and 24 are disposed balls 3| and 32. These balls are confined to the passageways 29 by means of the rods 25, 2B, 21 and 28,'which are spaced apart a distance less than the diameters of said balls. The balls may thus freely travel from one end of the guides 23 and 24 to the other.

The operation of the invention is obvious. When the wheels l8 and [9 are rotated by wheel- .ing the toy over the floor or ground, the guides 23 and 24 rotate with the said wheels. Such rotation causes the guides to alternately change from horizontal to inclined position and vice versa. As the said guides change position, the balls roll by gravity from one end to the other of the passageways 29. Due to the arrangement The toy is extremely simple in construction. By

unscrewing the handle, the toy may be confined in a small space to facilitate packing for shipping. The toy, if desired, may be constructed almost entirely of wood. Considerable action is given to the balls as they travel from one end of the guides to the other. The toy is exceedingly interesting and entertaining to smaller children movable along said guide, said guide being disposed on the skew to cause the object to .move by gravity from one end of the guide to the other as the wheels are rotated.

2. In a toy, a pair of spaced ground-engaging wheels, means for supporting said wheels for rotation, an elongated cage extending between said wheels and attached thereto and an object guided by and movable along said cage, said cage being disposed on theskew to cause the object to move by gravity from one end of the cage to the other as the wheels are rotated.

3. In a toy, a pair of spaced ground-engaging wheels, means for supporting said wheels for rotation, a cage consisting of a number of spaced rods extending between said wheels and attached thereto and a ball guided by said cage and movable along said rods, said rods being disposed on the skew to cause the ball to move by gravity from one end of the cage to the other, as the wheels are rotated.

4. In a toy, a pair of spaced ground-engaging wheels, means for supporting said wheels for rotation, a cage extending between said wheels and attached thereto and having an elongated passageway therebetween and a ball received within said cage and movable along said passageway, said cage being disposed on the skew to cause the ball to move'by gravity from one end of the cage to the other as the wheels are rotated.

5. In a toy, a pairof spaced ground-engaging -wheels, means for supporting said wheels for rotation, a plurality of guides extending between said wheels and attached thereto, said guides be- 7 ing arranged in'symmetrical relation about the .axis of said. wheels, and corresponding objects guided byand movable along said guides, said guides being disposed on the skew to cause the objects to move by gravity from one end of the guides to the other as the wheels are rotated.

6. In a toy, a pair of spaced ground-engaging wheels, 2. frame for supporting said wheels for rotation, a plurality of guides extending between said wheels and attached thereto and arranged in symmetrical relation about said wheels and objects guided by and movable along said guides. said guides being disposed on the skew to cause the objects to move from one end of the guides to the other as the wheels rotate, said guides being all skewed in the same directionto cause an object on the guide nearest the frame to move in one direction and an object on a guide-farthest from the frame to move in the opposite direction.

SHELDON H. GAINSLEY.

DISCLAIMER 2,352,676.-Sheld0n H. Gainsley, Minneapolis, Minn. TOY. Patent dated July 4,

1944. Disclaimer filed June 4, 1945, by the inventor. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1, 5, and 6 in said specification.

[Ofiicial Gazette July 8, 1945.] 

